THE ORCHID in Mumbai - Hotel Review with Photos

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Updated: January 13, 2022

Essentials
• Location: Vile Parle East, close to the domestic airport terminal.
• Hotel website: orchidhotel.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)22 2616 4040
• Check prices for The Orchid

Review of The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai, India.

Conveniently located close to both the airport terminals, The Orchid offers luxurious rooms at midrange prices.

Orchid – Likable, functional, convenient to the airport, and much better than just a transit hotel.

Offering almost five-star amenities at three-star rates, The Orchid is instantly welcoming and very pleasant. With semi-separate sitting areas, rooms are surprisingly spacious, while the plush suites in another wing are worth more than just a brief overnight stay. The facilities, which are much more impressive than most neighboring rivals’, include a rooftop pool (with a bright and breezy café/bar alongside) and traditional museum dedicated to ‘mothers’. Winning international awards for ‘environmental sensitivity’, The Orchid is quietly set back from the main road and surrounded by trees that are havens for the prolific parrots. While only minutes by car/taxi from either airport terminal, the hotel is unaffected by plane (or traffic) noise.

Orchid – The Location

Address: 70-C Nehru Road, just off the Western Express Highway, in the northern suburb of Vile Parle East. Very close to the domestic airport Terminal 1B (Santa Cruz).
Area: Set back quietly in a cul-de-sac, about 100m from Nehru Road. A comparatively quieter and cleaner area of Mumbai packed with transit hotels and high-rise office blocks. Most domestic flights actually leave from the international airport, so the area is rarely affected by plane noise.
How to Get There: Less than 10 minutes by car/taxi from the international airport Terminal 2 (which also handles most domestic flights, 5 km), and even closer to Terminal 1B (Santa Cruz), which caters to some budget domestic airlines. Get a taxi at a pre-paid counter from either terminal. Or arrange a free hotel transfer to/from Terminal 1B. The Andheri train station and connected metro station are 15 minutes (3 km) away.
Handy to: Domestic and International airport terminals.

Orchid – The Basics

Guests: Mostly caters to transit passengers, especially with late arrivals or early departures.
Views: Some rooms face the atrium, but better views (of other buildings) are from rooms that face outwards.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: The Presidential Suites feature jacuzzis (very rare among rivals).
Extras: Free transfers to/from the domestic Santa Cruz Airport Terminal 1B.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)22 2616 4040
Email: res@orchidhotel.com
Website: orchidhotel.com

Orchid – Amenities

Pool: Sizable pool on the rooftop with bistro/bar alongside (evenings only). Breezy, and dramatic views of the airport. Shallow section for the young ones.
Spa: Reasonable spa down some steps from the pool area.
Fitness Center: Small, but probably enough equipment to keep users happy.
For Families: Cots. Baby items available on request. Baby-sitting.
Other Facilities: Money-changing. Business services. Beauty Salon. Laundry. Travel desk. ‘Aai Museum’.

Orchid – Food and Drink

Restaurants: Boulevard – Open 24 hours for casual dining. Also, buffet (Western) breakfasts. In the atrium with an unusual décor of canvas and carpets. • Mostly Grills – Aptly-named for mouth-watering kebabs. Colorful setting on the rooftop alongside the pool, with bar attached. Dinner only. • South of Vindhyas – At the lobby level for traditional vegetarian cuisine in a tasteful setting. Fascinating murals and views of voracious parrots outside. Also, buffet (vegetarian) breakfasts. • The Gourmet Shop – Coffee shop serving tasty breads, cakes, and other pastries.
Bar: Merlin’s Karaoke Bar – Always heaps of fun, especially during the extended happy hours and when live bands play. Open until 3 am.
Breakfast: Included in most rates. Choice of Western buffet breakfast or Indian-style vegetarian buffet breakfast in separate restaurants.
Room Service: Available 24/7.

Orchid – Rooms

Room Types: Orchid Deluxe Rooms • Orchid Executive Rooms • Orchid Premiere Rooms • Orchid Club Rooms • Orchid Mayflower Suites • Presidential Suites • List of all Rooms
Smoking Rooms: Smoking rooms available if requested.
Best Room: With a separate bedroom and living area, each Presidential Suite also has 2 features very rare in any hotel in Mumbai: a jacuzzi and massage chair.
For Families: Most rooms can easily accommodate families of three. Ask the helpful management about fitting in a family of four into a suite.

Orchid – Local Transport

Walking: Comparatively pleasant area for walking, but little of interest nearby for tourists. The gates of the nearby Sahara Star hotel (see below) face a lane packed with stalls and other facilities for local workers. Crowded, but a fascinating slice of city life.
Public Transport: Nothing of any use to tourists. The nearest Mumbai Metro station is Western Express Highway (3 km), but has limited connectivity till about 2024 when several other routes open.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: The usual black-and-yellow taxis are oddly rare in the immediate area. Plenty of auto-rickshaws along the road, and they usually use their meters too. Rides can also be booked using Uber and Ola apps.

The Orchid – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

Sahara Star

The Earth Plate – Extra-long menu, including Italian and Mexican dishes. Massive room and open-plan kitchens add to the appeal. Open 24 hours.
Namak – Traditional South Indian cuisine with contemporary flavors and chic décor.
Mabruk – Award-winning Lebanese cuisine and likable casual setting. Dinner only.
Manuhaar – Bright and cheerful setting, it’s renowned for authentic thalis (set meals in steel plates).
The Lagoon Lounge – Incredible position within the hotel grounds. Coffees, beers, and light meals.

Nearby Shops

A few shops for locals near the gates of The Orchid and nearby Sahara Star hotels, but nothing much else.

Orchid – The Hotel

The hotel located away from the main road.

The Orchid is about 100m back from the road, so it’s quiet and spacious – attributes appreciated by the abundant parrots and pigeons.

The Orchid is modern but offers a few traditional charms, such as the turbaned doorman.

The lobby is in an atrium which extends seven floors to the rooftop.

The Boulevard restaurant is open round the clock.

The Boulevard restaurant at the hotel is open 24 hours. It features an unusual décor of canvas and carpets.

Breakfast buffet at The Boulevard restaurant.

Boulevard is open early for buffet breakfast, which is often included in the rates.

Side-by-side at the lobby level are the Merlin’s Karaoke Bar and South of Vindhyas Indian restaurant.

South of Vindhyas serves vegetarian fare.

South of Vindhyas is the hotel’s signature restaurant, and only serves vegetarian food.

Breakfast is also served at South of Vindhyas.

Unusually, two restaurants at the hotel serve buffet breakfasts: Boulevard (for Western and Indian food) and South of Vindhyas (strictly vegetarian).

The Gourmet Shop at the lobby level is open from 11 am to 11 pm.

Mostly Grills on the rooftop is open only for dinner.

On the hotel rooftop, Mostly Grills is a bright and breezy spot for a meal and/or drink – but is only open for dinner.

Some tables at Mostly Grills are more intimate than others.

From the hotel rooftop are direct views of the domestic airport.

Swimming pool with attached children's pool.

The hotel pool is sizeable and features a shallow area for the younger ones.

Small gym on the 6th floor of the hotel.

On the 6th floor is a small but serviceable fitness center.

One surprise is the Aai Museum, a traditional collection personally collated and dedicated to ‘mothers’.

The hotel is split into two wings. The plush suites are in the newer building.

Spacious standard room at the Orchid Hotel.

Ideal for transit passengers, the lowest category rooms are still surprisingly spacious.

The bedroom in most types of rooms is two steps down from the sitting area.

The sizeable and semi-separate sitting area adds greatly to the appeal of the rooms.

Views are nothing to get excited about, as expected at a hotel airport.

The hotel is about 100m along this lane from the road.

Sahara Star hotel nearby has several dining options.

There is really nowhere else to eat in the immediate area, except at the extraordinary Sahara Star hotel, only 250m away.

The Earth Plate at the Sahara Star hotel is open 24 hours.

Among many options within the Sahara Star hotel, The Earth Plate is open 24 hours.

The Lagoon Lounge is attractively positioned among the amazing gardens at the nearby Sahara Star hotel.

Manuhaar is also located in the hotel grounds.

The pathway circling the grounds within the Sahara Star hotel is lined with other terrific places to eat and drink, including Manuhaar. Check rates and availability: The Orchid

The Orchid Hotel in Mumbai, India

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